Interchangeable character or symbol and holder therefor



P. PATINOT July 26, 1932.

INTERCHANGEABLE CHARACTER OR SYMBOL AND HOLDER THEREFOR Filed April 22, 1931 gm; W W BY Patented July 26, 1932 UNITED STATES PHILIPPEPATINOT, or BROOKLYN, NEW Yofa'K.

Assrqnon l'ro msrnmrfrnrcn b9320 RATION, A CORPORATION or NEW'YORK- INTERCHANGEABLE CHARACTER on-sY-nnotnun noLnEa-rnrumroa Application filed April 22,

r invention comprises the combination of members and arrangement of parts so combined as to co-act and cooperate with each other in the performance of the functions and the accomplishment of the results herein contemplated, and comprises in one of its adaptations the species or preferred form illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a view, in perspective, of a holder or base member and interchangeable characters mounted therein;

Fig. 2 is a view, partly in side elevation and partly in longitudinal section of the interchangeable character and holder shown in Fig. 1 and illustrating the interengaging feature, the section being taken on the line 22 of Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrow;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrow; and

Fig. 4 is a view, in perspective, of a numeric character removed from the holder.

Referring now to the drawing, which illustrates a preferred embodiment of myinvention, 1 indicates a base or holder member having, in the embodiment shown, a flat bottom portion 2 adapted to rest on any fiat surface such as the floor or'shelves in a showwindow and 3 illustrates a raised body portion which may be of any suitable conformation and, as shown, is curvilinear in outline.

In accordance with my invention,'the body portion 3 has arranged in a rectilinear line and equally spaced apart a plurality or series of independent grooves 4 adapted to receive 1931. Serial- N0. 532,095..

and interengage wifl gp um y g acters or isymbols r5.

,7 In the embodiment illustrated,

ters employed are cut outcharacters ormum-E hers preferably stamped outo'f metal and pro Y vided at their lower ends with the-fooppieces 5 having, as illustrated, inclinedor down-1 wardly convergingedges 6 6' terminating in flat; bottom portions? -lh'aving an interengaging notch 8 while the in dependent grooves in the base member are provided with upof similarly-shaped foot members 5.o f;char} wardly diverging side walls 9, 9 extending i from a bottom portion 10 having an upwardly-extending tongue 11, the bottom portions of the groove and number thus being of irregular or broken conformation so as to cause, when the number is placed within the groove, an intermeshing or interengagement between the foot portion of the number and the groove and also to provide attheedgesg'uideportions which will enable the ready and quick mounting of the number and the positioning of the same not only in proper spaced relationship to its companion characters but also to cause the seating in proper upright position with-,

out any tilting in relationto the vertical axis passing through the letter.

In the preferred embodiment of my invention, the base member comprises a die-casting in which the independent slots or grooves are formed and the characters orcut-out numerals are stamped out from sheet metal. In view of the use to which these elements are put, both of them are preferably nickel-plated or otherwise ornamented except at the foot portion of the numbers, These foot portions of the characters and the grooves therefor are of suitable thickness and the grooves are preferably depressed in the base member at an angle from the vertical so that the characters when positioned therein will be set at anangle inclined slightly to a vertical plane passing through the middle of the base member.

ligbviously a character, such as the number into the base and will, because of the inclined edges 6 and walls 9, be guided to the bottom .95 shown may bereadily and quickly slipped portions which will interengage with each other, the portions 7 setting within the 'portions 10 and the tongue 11 fitting Within the groove '8.

Having described my invention, I claim 2-- 1. An interchangeable character or symbol and holder therefor embodying, in combination, abase member having a body portion provided with a plurality of independent grooves',-and characters having foot portions adapted to seat- Within such independent grooves, said grooves and foot portions of. the characters having interengaging portions.

2. An interchangeable character or symbol and holder therefor embodying, in combination, a base member having a body portion provided vvith a plurality of independent grooves,*and characters having foot portions adapted to seat Within such independent grooves, said grooves and' foot portions of the characters being polygonal in conformation'and having inclined edge portions for guiding the movement of the characters into the grooves.

' In Witness whereof, I have signed my name to the foregoing specification.

' PHILIPPE PATINOT. 

